Have You Ever Heard of a Live Stake Nursery?

Nov 15, 2021

By Cindy Rogers

Nearly a dozen members of the Westmoreland, Indiana and Armstrong County Master Watershed Stewards group got together on the rainy day of October 16, at Getty Heights Park in Indiana, PA to plant a live stake nursery. The nursery includes 6 different varieties of trees and shrubs and totals 90 plants. Funding for the nursery came from a PA American Water Grant that the statewide Master Watershed Steward program received to establish multiple live stake nurseries across the state.

There are a variety of things we can do to help protect and stabilize stream banks and improve the health of the streams. One thing is to plant a "riparian buffer" which is the planting of native trees and bushes along the sides of streams and up to 30 meters on either side of the stream to prevent erosion and help improve water quality. These trees not only help hold soil in place, but also soak up nutrients, absorb rainwater, and provide habitat for wildlife.

Live Staking is one way to put plants directly in the places that need them most along the stream banks. Using live stakes can be a much lower cost than buying trees and plants for the plantings. Stem cuttings taken from trees during their dormant season (before the trees bud out in the spring) are put directly into stream banks. These cuttings, referred to as "live stakes," will eventually grow into new trees and are an easy way to establish a root network in the stream banks and help prevent further soil erosion.

This newly planted live stake nursery will be maintained by local Master Watershed Stewards who will help with watering and weeding the area. A partnership with White Township allowed the Watershed Stewards to use a part of Getty Heights Park for the project, and the township assisted with digging the initial holes for the plantings. The trees and bushes for the nursery were planted in the holes, ground cloth was used to prevent weed growth, and wire cages were installed to protect new trees from deer browsing. The plantings were placed at a distance apart that would allow easy mowing between the trees.

In a year or more, Master Watershed Stewards will be able to harvest twig cuttings for future plantings of riparian buffer zones in Westmoreland, Indiana, and Armstrong counties.

Source : psu.edu

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.